Wire-stretcher.



No. 771,099. PATENTED SEPT. 27, 1904. Y 0. G. A. SCHWIEN.

WIRE STRETCHER.

APPLICATION I TLED APR. 13.1904.

N0 MODEL.

A ZTOHNE Y8 UNITED STATES Patented September 27, 1904.

PATENT OEEicE.

WlRE-STRETCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 771,099, datedSeptember 27, 1904.

Application filed April 13, 1904- To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, Orro G. A. ScHwIEN, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Davenport. in the county of Scott and State of Iowa,have made certain new and useful Improvements in Wire-Stretchers, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in that class of wire-stretchers whosemain feature is a lever having a curved portion adapted to engage orpartly embrace a fixed post and provided with a wire-grip which islocated at a point between the post and the handle or power end of thelever. In my invention a flexible tension device, preferably a chain, isemployed, it being connected with the portion of the lever applied tothe post and adapted for ready attachment and detachment, so that theapparatus as a whole may be quickly applied to and removed from thepost.

A further improvement is the provision of teeth on the curved portion ofthe lever which engages the post, the same being so constructed andarranged as to bite the post when tension is applied to the wire, andthus aiding in locking the lever at any point in its adjustment orrotation around the post.

- The invention further includes an improved automatic wire -grip, whichis adapted to travel on a curved portion of the lever.

The invention further includes an improvement in the form andconstruction of the main portion of the body of the lever.

The details of construction, arrangement, and operationof parts are ashereinafter described, reference being had to accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure 1 is a plan view showing my improved wire-stretcher appliedto a post and a wire connected with the automatic grip preparatory tostretching the wire. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the inner side ofthat'portion of the lever which is adapted to engage the post. Fig. 3 isa plan view of the other side of the lever, the power end or handleportion being omitted. Fig. 4 is an end view of the grip, and Fig. 4 isa cross-section on line 4 4 of Fig. 1*. Fig. 5 is a View showing theapparatus in the position occupied when the Serial No. 202,921. (Nomodel.)

wire has been fully stretched. Figs. 6 and 7 are views showing amodification.

'I will first describe the invention as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5. Aindicates the lever. B the chain or flexible tension device, and O theautomatic wire-grip. As shown in Fig. 1, the lever has two curvedportions 1 2 and a straight or handle portion. The parts 1 and 2 arecurved in reverse direction or oppositely, the first being adapted topartly embrace a post X and provided on its inner side withratchet-teeth 3, which project in a direction opposite that in which thelever is moved when a wire is being stretched. (See arrows.) The chainBis permanently attached to the lever at the junction of the curvedportions 1 and 2. The outer end of the part 1 is provided with a notch4, adapted to receive the chain, but made of less width than theenlarged portions of the links of the chain, as indicated in Fig. 1. Asshown, the notch 4 is open on the upper side, so that the chain B may beconveniently laid into the notch 4 or detached therefrom, as occasionrequires. The outer end of the chain is provided with a handle 5 forconvenience in manipulation of the same. The automatic grip O iscomposed of two pairs of levers 6, 7 and 6. The two levers 6 and -7 arearranged on one side of the handle or lever and the levers 6 arearranged on the opposite side, the three sets of levers being pivotallyconnected at their ends. The levers 6 and 7 are provided, respectively,with enlargedheads 8 and 9, that serve as grippingjaws for holding awire Y, and two links 10 and 11, which are pivotally connected and alsopivoted to the inner ends of the levers. The levers 6, 7, and 6 areconnected by a pivoting cross pin or bolt 12, and a roller 13 is mountedrotatably on the pivot 14, which connects the two sets of links 10 11,it being thus arranged between them and adapted to travel on the innerside of thecurved portion 2 of the lever. The bars or levers 6 being onthe opposite side of the main lever from the levers 6 7 serve as meansfor holding the gripping-jaws and the roller 13 in due position. Theautomatic grip thus formed is adapted to travel on the curved portion 2of the lever A or between the points 15 and 16, the latter having a lugprojecting at the junction of its parts 2 3. As shown in Figs. 1, 4:, 5,the gripping-jaw 9 is provided with a hook or prong 9, which projectslaterally and is thus adapted to extend over the wire Y when the jawsare closed and serves to prevent the wire coming out laterally in caseit slips in the gripping-jaws. As shown in Fig. 1, the opposite jaw 8 isslightly undercut or recessed to accommodate the wire, which alsoconduces to safety against lateral escape of the wire. For the purposeof combining maximum lightness and strength I construct the body of thelever in I shape or substantially in the form of the well-known I-beam,and the curved portion 1 is also provided with lateral ribs adjacent toits inner side for the same purpose. It is sometimes desirable,especially when a very long length of wire is to be stretched, toprovide a second wire-grip C, the same being attached to the back of thecurvedfulcrum portion 1 of the lever A, as shown in Figs. 1, 3, 5. It iscomposed of a pivoted lever having an enlarged cam-head 17, which isprovided with a V-groove and coacts with a corresponding projection 17,formed integrally with the lever proper.

In the practical use of my invention the lever A is placed in position,as indicated in Fig. 1, the handle or power portion 2 3 being extendedin the general direction in which the wire Y lies. The chain or otherflexible tension device B is then drawn around the post and engaged withthe notch 1 in the outer end of the lever. The gripping device C is thenengaged with the wire Y, as indicated in Fig. 1, it being only necessaryfor this purpose to draw the wire between the grippers 8 and 9 and bringthe latter firmly together thereon, when they automatically and firmlygrip it by reason of the tension and the automatic action of the levers6 and 7, whose inner ends are thereby brought nearer each other, as willbe readily understood. Now by pressing upon the lever in the directionindicated by the arrows it is swept around the post X until it reachesthe position indicated in Fig. 5that is to say, until the tension on thewire Y indicates that it is fully stretched. The lever being thenreleased retains its position by reason of its grip on the post X, whichis mainly due to the engagement of the ratchetteeth 3 therewith. Thewire Y is then secured by staples or other means to' the posts near orimmediately adjacent to the post X, to which the lever is applied. Theapparatus is then released from the wire and the post and carriedforward and applied to another post and the stretching operationrepeated.

When the first stretch of the wire has been effected and the wire is notdrawn tight enough, its end is fastened by the second cam-grip G, andthen the chain B, which passes around the post, is fastened and thelever A drawn back to first position, when another grip is taken on thewire by means of the automatic device C, and thus another length orportion of the slack is taken up. The operation can be repeated as oftenas need be until the wire has been tightened to the required degree. Inturning back the lever the wire is loosened from four to eight inches,according tothe size of the post, and the strain comes on the secondgrip C when the automatic grip lets go. The gain in taking up the wireeach time the lever is pulled back is from eight to ten inches, so anylength of wire can be taken up. The stretcher may also be employed fordrawing the adjacent ends of the broken wire together so that it may bespliced, one end being fastened by the cam-grip C and the other by theautomatic grip C.

In Figs. 6 and 7 I show a modification in which the lever A is made intwo parts, the wooden handle portion being straight and fitted in asocket in the curved portion 18, which is applied to the post X, and thechain being provided near its free end with a series of hooks 19, whichare adapted to engage the wire Y, as indicated in Fig. 7. The grippingdevice C is provided with gripping-jaws and toggle-levers, as before;but instead of being adapted to travel on the lever it is permanentlyconnected therewith at a point 20, near the junction of the two parts 17and 18. It will be seen that by the provision of the hooks 19 the chainmay be engaged with the wire Y instead of with the end of the lever, asin Figs. 1 and 5. The result is practically the same and the lever ismanipulated in the same way as before for the purpose of stretching thewire. It will be understood that one of the hooks is engaged with thewire Y while the same is quite slack.

By the construction and arrangement of parts before described I providea simple, strong, and powerful apparatus which is capable of beinghandled and operated by one man in putting up wire fence.

What I claim is- 1. The improved fence-wire stretcher comprising alever, a flexible tension device attached to one end of the same andadapted to pass around a post, a wire-grip connected with the lever at apoint adjacent to its fulcrum end and adapted to slide thereon,substantially as described.

2. The improved fence-wire stretcher comprising a lever, a chainconnected therewith and adapted to pass around a fence-post which servesas the fulcrum in the stretching operation, and an automatic wire-gripconnected with the lever at a point between its handle and fulcrum end,and comprising jaws adapted for holding the wire and forming attachmentsof levers which are automatically brought together when power is appliedto the lever, substantially as described.

3. The improved fence-wire stretcher comprising a lever having its innerend curved to adapt it for application to a post, and pro vided on theinner side of such curved portion with teeth adapted to engage the post,a chain which is connected with the fulcrum end of the lever and adaptedto pass around the post, and an automatic grip adapted for holding thewire to be stretched, the same being applied to the lever near itsfulcrum portion, substantially as described.

t. The improved fence-wire stretcher comprising a lever having twoadjacent and reversely-curved portions,one of which is adapted forengaging the post, an automatic wiregrip adapted to travel on the curvedportion adjacent to the fulcrum portion of the lever, and a flexibletension device pivoted to the lever at the junction of the two curvedportions and adapted for engaging the inner end of the lever detachably,substantially as described.

5. In a fence-wire stretcher, the combination, with the lever having acurved portion adapted to engage the post and provided with a lateralnotch in its inner end, of a flexible tension device which is connectedwith thelever at the inner end of such curved portion and adapted topass around a fulcrum-post, the same being constructed with parts whichare wider than the aforesaid notch, and with other adjacent portionswhich are narrower than the same, whereby the device is adapted forlocking with and disengagement from the lever, in themanner described.

6. In a fence-wire stretcher, the combination, with a lever of anautomatic wire-grip comprising levers pivoted together and having partsadapted to serve as gripping-jaws, and means for connecting the innerends of said levers and retaining the grip in connection with the leverso that it may slide thereon, substantially as described.

7. In a fence-wire stretcher, the combination, with a lever adapted forapplication to a fulcrum, of an automatic wire-grip comprising levershaving jaws, one of which is provided with a lateral extension adaptedto pass over the wire when the same is gripped, and means for connectingthe inner ends of the levers and applying traction and also connectingthe said levers with the main lever, substantially as described.

8. In a fence-wire stretcher, the combination, with a lever, of theautomatic wire-grip comprising levers having grip-jaws and pivotedtogether, links connecting the inner ends of the levers, and a roller.journaled on the connecting-pivot of said links and adapted to travel onthe lever, substantially as described.

9. In a fence-wire stretcher, the combination, with a lever having acurved fulcrum portion adapted to engage a post a cam wiregrip fixed onthe outer side of such curved portion, and an automatic wire-gripapplied to the adjacent portion of the lever and adapted to slidethereon, substantially as described.

10. In a fence-wire stretcher, the combination, with a lever, having afulcrum portion adapted to engage a post, and an adjacent portion whichis curved reversely and provided with a stop as described,of theautomatic wiregrip comprising levers having jaws adapted 'to hold awire, and means for securing the levers to such curved portion ofthemain lever and to travel thereon, substantlally as described.

- OTTO O. A. SCHVVIEN. Witnesses:

FRITZ GoTTsoH, H. LANTAN.

